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Rachel’s eyes meet mine. She’s been as unlucky in relationships as I have, but for entirely different reasons. She believes in happy ever afters and no man can meet up to her daydreams of Prince Charming sweeping her off her feet.
Whereas, I… just don’t believe in that at all.
“Older women like us,” Rachel repeats.
Allison doesn’t notice the warning in her voice. She just nods like an excited puppy. “For women over forty who haven’t found love yet.”
“We’re not over forty,” Rachel points out.
“I know, but you almost are.”
I wince again. We’re not even close. Or at least, it doesn’t feel like it. And any reminder that I’m over halfway through my thirties is distinctly unwelcome.
“By your age a lot of women will take any guy that has his teeth left, right?” Allison smiles, revealing her own too-white set of teeth. I’m slightly concerned that Rachel might smash them out.
She doesn’t like being called old. She wore black for a year when she turned thirty.
“Tell us all about it,” I say, shooting Rachel a warning glance. I’m pretty sure smashing an intern’s pretty smile is a disciplinary offence.
“So, when you reach a certain age, your requirements change,” Allison says, her eyes darting from Rachel to me. “You’re going to have to spread your net wider. Maybe settle for less than you would have when you were in your prime.”
I’m pretty sure Rachel let out a growl.
“So, this app does it for you.” Allison continues. “It pre-vets the guys to make sure they understand the ladies they’ll be matching with are of a certain age. But also of a certain quality.”
“Sure.” I nod, absolutely not interested. “That sounds great.”
“Fabulous.” Allison claps her hands together. “So I can put you on the Golden Mates beta team?”
Rachel turns to look at her, and Allison visibly cringes. “I only go for alphas,” she tells her. “So no.”
“The alpha testing phase has already finished,” Allison whispers. And now I’m feeling sorry for her, because she’s worked really hard this year. She’s a whizz on spreadsheets and works as late as we need her to. So I nudge Rachel in the chest and she grimaces in response.
“I’ll do it,” I tell Allison, because I feel bad about teasing her. “Just send me the link.”
“Thank you. Ryan’s going to be so pleased. He doesn’t know many women in the older demographic so it’s this or he has to grab random people on the street.”
I swallow down a laugh.
“I’m going to call him now,” she says, happily, standing and grabbing her glass. “You won’t regret this, Mackenzie.”
I’m almost certain I will. But at least I’ve done one good deed today. That should help me feel better when I say no to my family later tonight.
And yes, I don’t know what they’re going to ask. But this isn’t my first rodeo. You have to be firm with my family. They always play to win.
CHAPTERTHREE
MACKENZIE
My apartment is small but perfectly formed and I feel lucky every time I walk inside. Finding somewhere to live in New York that’s not a rat-infested closet and is actually affordable is harder than finding a date after the age of thirty.
Maybe Allison’s boyfriend should develop an app forthat.
My phone is ringing before I can even take off my stupidly high shoes. I kick them into the air and drop onto my gorgeous sofa that cost me more than three months’ wages but is so worth it. It’s cream and velvet, and sitting on it feels like a warm hug after a long day. Then I swipe across my phone to accept the video call and try to push my annoyance down because it’s not my mom’s fault that I have such a strong reaction to her.
Okay, maybe it’s a little bit her fault. But a lot of it is just down to circumstances.
My screen flickers into life and four boxes appear and it’s then I realize it’s a family group chat. In the top corner are my parents. They’re still both wearing make up which means they’ve only just stopped filming for the night. My dad looks like he’s wearing a kaftan. My mom is still wearing her skating outfit.
